As some of you know, I recently adopted my first bunny on Halloween. He's sweet as can be and I absolutely love him to pieces. He has been settling in very well and is a very healthy boy. My problem is, about a week after I brought him home, his hormones started kicking in. He's one year and one month old and unaltered. I plan to have him neutered but in order to bring him to the very professional vet who is experienced with rabbits and recommended by the house rabbit society, it's going to cost me about $350, which I don't have right this moment, and I don't want to bring him to just any old vet just to save money. He's been progressively getting more and more hormonal as the days go by. It started with him circling/nipping/grunting every once in a while, but it's currently to the point where I can't let him out of the cage without him constantly biting/humping my arm, as well as the dreaded moment when he whips his butt in the air and dampens my walls, if you know what I mean. He won't even play when he's out of the cage anymore, he just humps and sprays everything in sight. I feel bad keeping him in the cage most of the day but it's no fun spending all of my time cleaning bunny pee off my walls, carpet, bed, clothing, and everything else. He's pretty good about his litter box habits otherwise and doesn't spray when he's in his cage. I've been trying to discourage the behavior by putting the pee-soaked paper towels in his litter box. When he sprays I'll yell "no" and bring him to the litter box. When he humps me or something else I yell "no" and hold him down against the floor, and he lowers his ears and looks at me like :cry2 I'm sorry that this post is so long but I'm hoping someone can offer some advice on calming down these behaviors. As I said before I hate to keep him in the cage so much but I can't get anything done when he's out. Thanks in advance for any help :thanks:
Raging hormones in my unaltered male
- Thread starter rhianna
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
It sounds like you are doing all you can until you can get him neutered. If you have an xpen you could use that to let him out for playtime. You may also be able to use a bathroom for playtime, if he isn't prone to chew on cabinets or anything. You can use a baby gate to block the doorway so that you can leave the door open to monitor him.
If you have a low cost spay neuter clinic near you that also does rabbits, that may be an option. Just check to make sure the vet is very experienced with rabbits and has a good success rate.
http://rabbit.org/faq-how-to-find-a-good-rabbit-vet/
http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/
If you have a low cost spay neuter clinic near you that also does rabbits, that may be an option. Just check to make sure the vet is very experienced with rabbits and has a good success rate.
http://rabbit.org/faq-how-to-find-a-good-rabbit-vet/
http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/
Thanks for the advice. I don't have an xpen but I may consider purchasing one if I can find it for cheap. I do like the bathroom idea but the cat's litter box is in the bathroom, I'd be afraid of Bear getting into it or the containers of clay litter and swallowing some of it. I've mostly just been letting him out a few times a day for an hour or so at a time, just setting aside that time for him and using the other time for other things.
I don't have a low cost clinic near me, I live sort of in the middle of nowhere so any kind of rabbit-savvy vets are very scarce. The closest trustable one I could find was an hour away and that's who gave me the $350 quote for the neuter. However last night my aunt did tell me that she used to take her guinea pig to a local vet about 15 minutes away so I will look into them and see if they're experienced with rabbits. I know he'll definitely need to be neutered ASAP but it was sort of unexpected taking him in and all of my money has gone toward the initial supplies - food, cage, toys, check-up at the vet, adoption fees, etc. so it'll have to wait until I can afford it. Thanks again for the suggestions
I don't have a low cost clinic near me, I live sort of in the middle of nowhere so any kind of rabbit-savvy vets are very scarce. The closest trustable one I could find was an hour away and that's who gave me the $350 quote for the neuter. However last night my aunt did tell me that she used to take her guinea pig to a local vet about 15 minutes away so I will look into them and see if they're experienced with rabbits. I know he'll definitely need to be neutered ASAP but it was sort of unexpected taking him in and all of my money has gone toward the initial supplies - food, cage, toys, check-up at the vet, adoption fees, etc. so it'll have to wait until I can afford it. Thanks again for the suggestions
Have you considered getting a small stuffed animal to divert his attention and be the 'object' of his affection? We have a pet rabbit (retired from showing) that we finally gave a stuffed mouse to (that's just his size) and he'll sling it around his cage and hump it when he needs to. Which reminds me, I need to wash it....
That's a good idea. He does have a blanket outside of the cage that he likes to "dig" into a pile and... you know. The problem I've found with this is that the blanket is the thing (besides me) that he most often sprays. I'll try the stuffed animal thing in the cage (I have tons of old ones packed away) and hopefully it will help. I just hope he doesn't start spraying it in his cage. Thanks for the idea
I thought I'd update you. I found an old stuffed rabbit that was made for babies (one of my old toys, lol) which I thought would work nicely because there's no loose parts for him to bite off. He seems to have accepted the toy as his girlfriend... :bunnyheart he did spray at it a couple of times earlier today, but it's been a few hours since he did so I think (hope) he's officially gotten his scent on it. Here's a few pictures:
When I opened the cage for a better picture he of course woke up
Thanks so much again for the idea, hopefully it'll help calm him down until I can afford to get him snipped :upsidedown:
When I opened the cage for a better picture he of course woke up
Thanks so much again for the idea, hopefully it'll help calm him down until I can afford to get him snipped :upsidedown:
Oh Hon! I giggled and I'm sorry. $350 really? That's insane! I'm taking our little girl to a VERY bun savvy vet and its only $130 to have her spayed. Males are generally cheaper because they're easier. Your little man is a cutie pie and so is his new *girlfriend* I hope you get him fixed soon and his frustration eliminated.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Rabbit Forum mobile app
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Rabbit Forum mobile app
Vet prices vary depending on where you live, and it just so happens that the vet I got that quote from is in Albany, NY where everything is very expensive. I wish it was as inexpensive as $100 or so, I'd be able to afford it immediately. I can only imagine how much this vet would charge for a female... And thank you
Yes, I'm fortunate to live in an area less expensive. I reread my post and worried...my giggle was at the thought of a humpy boy bun. Especially after I saw his sweet little face with his girlfriend. We have a girl and I just can't imagine . That's a whole different set of issues! Time for a yardsale!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Rabbit Forum mobile app
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Rabbit Forum mobile app
Hah, I was originally planning to get a girl and not to get her for a few months, but my plans all changed randomly. I saw Bear on craigslist and fell in love immediately. In a few months when my living situation is better (my house is on the market and I'm currently renting and I'll be moving again soon) I'll be getting Bear a "real" girlfriend. Of course, this will be after he's neutered, and the female will definitely be spayed as well. Bear's my first bun so I'm not exactly sure what to expect from a female... I know their personalities are often very different.
Xiaohuihui
Member
Oh, mine is just awful. I can't get him neutered right now, either, so just endure it. It has gotten better; there were a couple of months where I left him in his room most of the time because he just wouldn't stop spraying or trying to mount my feet, to the point where I couldn't really walk around. LOL, it was actually kind of funny, because he wouldn't try from the front, he would try from the back. So, as I lifted up one foot to take a step forward, he would scramble and try to mount it. When I set it back down, he would go for the other one. It was pretty hilarious to watch, but really annoying to deal with after awhile. Now, he has mostly stopped and has free run of the house again, but it isn't like it was when he was just a little guy
Mine has been getting a bit better too. He's finally getting the hang of not spraying out of the litter box. He mainly stopped spraying me when I introduced the spray bottle of water... you spray me, I spray back! :devil Of course sometimes he just can't help himself though. As far as the humping goes, he has his "girlfriend" now which seems to have helped. When he starts mounting me I'll just move my arm and put the stuffed animal in front of him and he'll... well... relieve himself that way. He's still going to be neutered soon, for multiple reasons, but I've been figuring out how to cope with his hormones for now.
